Basketball star Brittney Griner, who was imprisoned in Russia, has spoken for the first time about her harsh experiences.
American basketball star Brittney Griner faced hard times when he had to live in 2022 for ten months imprisoned in Russia.
Russian authorities arrested Griner in February 2022 after electronic cigarette cartridges containing cannabis oil were found in his luggage at the airport. Griner received a nine-year prison sentence for drug trafficking and possession.
Now, Griner has spoken for the first time about his harsh experiences while imprisoned in the Mordva penal colony in Russia.
The infamous place is located about 300 kilometers from Moscow. The conditions were so harsh that he considered ending his day.
– I wanted to kill myself several times during the first weeks. I was in such a bad mood. I have never felt so dirty, Griner said in an interview with the American ABC channel.
However, he decided not to commit suicide. Griner feared that the Russian authorities would not hand over his body to his family.
Griner became a political pawn when Russia attacked Ukraine shortly after Griner’s arrest. The war situation strained the relations between the United States and Russia to the extreme.
In the end, Griner’s prison sentence lasted less than a year. The nightmarish events ended when Griner was allowed to return to his home country in December 2022. Griner was released in a prisoner exchange for a Russian arms dealer To Viktor Buti.
A painful return to normal life
However, returning to normal life has not been easy. Griner felt confused and his health deteriorated. He says that he considered stopping playing basketball.
Griner has also had to face hate speech in his home country.
“I’ve been accused of being un-American and I shouldn’t be alive,” Griner said.
The 33-year-old Griner is now back on the playing fields. He represents the Phoenix Mercury team playing in the American WNBA league and is part of the American national team preparing for the Paris Olympics.
Griner tells about his wild experiences in his book Coming Home, which will be published next week.